THURSDAY
DECEMBER 5
2013

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s prime-time special, introducing viewers to the casting and rehearsal process in bringing this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic to television, did a great job of promotion, stressing the point of just how high-risk, and exciting, a live TV premiere is bound to be. And here it comes. At one point in TV’s history, everything was presented this way – but tonight, a live musical, starring Carrie Underwood and featuring Audra McDonald and Laura Benanti, is an absolute rarity. Be watching, and be recording. In last week’s rehearsal footage, Underwood looked just perfect in the role.

 
  
 
 

CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET

The latest ongoing story line for this show has provided some delightfully unexpected depth: Sheldon (Jim Parsons) made an accidental discovery of seemingly great import, and gloated about it, only to have it subsequently questioned and eventually disproven. How could things get any worse? Well, tonight, while simmering in his post-failure funk, Sheldon is visited by his nemesis: Wil Wheaton.

 
  
 
 

Showtime, 8:00 p.m. ET

A quintet of severely wounded soldiers, veterans from wars in Afghanistan or Iraq, is instructed stateside in a new post-military activity: trying standup comedy. It may sound like quite a jarring transition, but remember: standup comics talk about killing the audience, dying on stage, slaying them, and so many other battlefield metaphors. Besides, they have help, in the form of comedians who are there to teach them and guide them in preparing and presenting their material. And since the guides include Zach Galifianakis, Lewis Black and Bob Saget, this is one boot camp worth watching.

 
  
 
 

Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET

I have no idea why the folks at Fox thought it would be a good idea to counter-program NBC’s telecast of a live musical with its Glee special Christmas episode, which makes room for lots of carols and costumes. But perhaps that’s just Scrooge-like thinking, and no one cares about time slots any more, when shows can be seen, and music heard and purchased, after the fact on websites and/or iTunes.
 
  
 
 

Sundance, 9:00 p.m. ET

Part 6. If you have no interest in The Sound of Music or Christmas carols from Glee – if, in other words, you want something more depressing and ominous than cheery and uplifting – this is the place for you. Up to now, The Returned has been mildly creepy. Tonight, it drops the mildly.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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Dave Bianculli
Howdy pardner,

Did you pass out on your keyboard after getting drunk, and then just kept bouncing your head over and over and over???

ROTFFLMBFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously dude, watch more TV, drink less alcohol!!!!

Warmly,

Dave
Jun 20, 2026
 
 
 
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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.